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The Float at Marina Bay
NS Square, stylised as The Float@Marina Bay and Marina Bay Floating Platform is the world's largest floating stage. It is located on the waters of the Marina Reservoir, in Marina Bay, Singapore. Made entirely of steel, the floating platform on Marina Bay measures 120 metres long and 83 metres wide, which is 5% larger than the soccer field at the National Stadium. The platform can bear up to 1,070 tonnes, equivalent to the total weight of 9,000 people, 200 tonnes of stage props and three 30-tonne military vehicles. The gallery at the stadium has a seating capacity of 30,000 people. The floating stadium will be a venue for events on the waters of Marina Bay for five years from 2007. These events may include sports, concerts, exhibitions, and the arts and cultural performances. The National Day Parade was held there annually for five years, as a temporary venue in place of the National Stadium in Kallang which was demolished to be rebuilt as part of the Singapore Sports Hub. This stadium is part of the Marina Bay Street Circuit Turns 17 and 18, which hosted the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix. More famously, it was where Nelson Piquet, Jr. crashed his car which led to the Renault Formula One crash controversy. Following Singapore's successful bid to host the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, the floating stadium was under the spotlight during the Games, as the venue for the Games' opening and closing ceremonies. History The idea of a floating platform was conceived by the organising committee of the National Day Parade, 2007. In 2004, Colonel Teo Jing Siong, the chairman of the committee, was asked to source for a new venue for the National Day Parade as the National Stadium would be demolished to make way for the new Singapore Sports Hub. Teo had considered Jalan Besar Stadium, the Singapore Turf Club and Marina South before settling on Marina Bay, partly because of the city skyline that would form a backdrop for the parade. The Singapore Government evaluated that the temporary stadium is a cost effective solution in lieu of the closure of the National Stadium that is under renovation for 8 years. In 2005, Teo's committee worked with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the Singapore Sports Council on the design of the floating platform, which could also be used to host other major events. After the design was finalised, the contractor, SembCorp Marine, started construction of the floating platform in March 2006. The stage took 13 months to build, and by April 2007, the platform and seating gallery were completed and officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The Marina Bay Floating Platform will be redeveloped into a permanent space that commemorates National Service (NS), announced Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on October 30. It will be renamed to NS Square, and will serve as the primary venue for National Day Parade. "We will extend the platform to open up a larger and more accessible space, and increase the current seating capacity so that more Singaporeans can join the parade", said Lee Hsien Loong at the dinner reception to mark 50 years of National Service. "Its permanence, and prominence, in Marina Bay, will reflect the central role national service plays in our lives," said PM Lee. The new venue can be used for parades, as well as community events like arts performances, weekend markets, and the River Hongbao, said PM Lee, who spoke at a dinner reception for national servicemen to mark 50 years of NS. In a statement, the Defence Ministry (Mindef) said the new NS Square will continue to be the venue for full-time national servicemen's graduation parades from basic military training. Parades for military units that complete their service will also be held there. The floating platform, which has hosted multiple NDPs including this year's edition, can seat 27,000 spectators. Construction Many considerations were taken into account during the design phase for the construction of the floating platform. The Defence Science and Technology Agency, the platform's chief planner and developer, had to keep in mind not just its size and the load it could bear, but also make sure the structure can be relocated and reconfigured to meet the requirements of different events. As a result, the platform is made of smaller platforms of pontoons, each comprising hundreds of parts. 200 pontoons were envisioned, but a unique system of connectors allowed this number to be reduced to 15, which interlock like a jigsaw puzzle. These took one month to assemble. The connectors were designed to be light but robust. Six pylons fixed into the seabed act as the structure's foundation. Heavy-duty rubber rollers were used to gently guide the stage vertically to keep it from being rocked by tides and currents. Three linkways, which connect the floating platform to the land, have special integrated joints to keep them steady. The floating platform also had to be aesthetically pleasing to fit the scenic backdrop of the belt of hotels in Marina Centre. This limited the height of the seating gallery. The existing structures and the area's development plans capped the number of seats at 30,000. The platform has been equipped with numerous innovative features, like an internal drainage system, cabling structures and lightning rods. Events There have been 200 events held at the Float since the beginning, one of which is the River Hongbao, F1 Singapore Grand Prix, Marina Bay Singapore Countdown and National Day Parade. But the venue’s “stunning backdrop” trumps even fireworks, she believes. “It really is a backdrop that money can’t buy. You have this beautiful financial city, the water, the boats that are passing by, the iconic Marina Bay Sands — it’s not a backdrop that any multimedia screen can replace.” Using the venue was not without its challenges. “We had to really manage the stakeholders, the hotels and the people who have existing businesses around the bay, and ensure that their businesses and lifestyles were not compromised because of the traffic that was going to and fro from the Marina Bay,” said Ms Chia-Richmond. If The Float were retained as an events venue, she suggests installing a facilities team there to support organisers and manage logistics. The first major event that was held at the floating stadium is the National Day Parade of 2007. This was followed by the Singapore Fireworks Celebrations held on 17 and 18 August 2007. On 25 August 2007, the stadium was used to launch the six-week-long Waterfest Singapore 2007, which showcases stunts and performances by a water ski team and wakeboard professionals. On 2 September 2007, the platform was the start and finish point for the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore triathlon. From 15 September 2007 to 16 April 2008, the floating stadium was closed for Formula One works in preparation for the Singapore Grand Prix in September 2008. The stadium was not available for rental until after the race. In August 2008, the National Day Parade was held at the stadium. The Urban Redevelopment Authority is exploring the idea of making the 30,000-seat gallery available for the public to view fireworks during the New Year's Eve countdown at Marina Bay in December 2007. The general public can access the platform when it is not booked for events. The Marina Bay Singapore Countdown also used this stadium in each of the 31 December of 2008 to 2013. In November 2008, The Singapore Cup final between SAFFC and Woodlands Wellington FC was supposed to take place at the stadium. However, problem relating to the metal beams casting a shadow on the pitch forced the match to be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium instead. The first football match to be played on the platform was a Sunday League ESPZEN amateur match between Tuan Gemuk Athletic and VNNTU FC. In August 2010, the stadium was the main stadium for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games. On 2 October, the stadium became the venue for the graduation parade of the recruits from the Singapore Armed Forces Basic Military Training Centre. On November 23, 2012, S.M. Entertainment artists including Kangta, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, Shinee, f(x), and EXO performed to a crowd of 18,000 fans as part of their SMTown Live World Tour III concert. The End and Review On 18 August 2016, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen had announced that the NDP 2017 will be moved to the Marina Bay Floating Platform again, marking the ninth parade to be held there. National Stadium will undergo renovation works to allow fireworks to take place, and widening works to be taken place for military trucks. In addition, the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown has already been moved to Suntec City. This is going to be the last NDP to be held at The Float @ Marina Bay, due to the lifespan of which is going to be 10 years. This is according to Sport Singapore, which manages the venue. The organisation says bookings for events to be held at The Float will continue to be accepted until the review is completed. Members of the public we spoke to said they hoped The Float would be retained. “It certainly brings us a lot of memories with fireworks in between,” said Ms Careen Wong, while Ms Nur Haziah suggested that the venue continue to host the NDP every few years. See also * List of stadiums in Singapore * National Day Parade * 2010 Summer Youth Olympics References External links * Marina Bay official website Category:Downtown Core (Singapore) Category:Marina Bay Category:Sports venues in Singapore Category:Sports venues completed in 2007 Category:Venues of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics